The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued Heart Aerospace with a Special Airworthiness Certificate in the Experimental Category for its X1 demonstrator aircraft, removing the regulatory barrier to the start of its flight-test programme.

The approval allows the manufacturer to begin flights immediately, although the exact date of the first flight has not yet been publicly announced. Heart Aerospace says the X1 is expected to fly during 2026 and that the aircraft is undergoing final preparations at its flight-test base at Plattsburgh International Airport in New York State.

The first flight had previously been expected in 2025, initially between April and July, but the programme was subsequently delayed. Following the completion of ground testing and the receipt of FAA approval, the company has not provided a more precise timeline beyond stating that the flight should take place this year.

The FAA issued the certificate after inspecting the aircraft in Plattsburgh, reviewing the supporting technical documentation and assessing Heart Aerospace’s proposed flight-test operations. The approval concludes a process that involved more than a year of cooperation between the regulator and Heart Aerospace’s engineering and flight-test teams.

Before receiving the authorisation, the X1 completed an extensive ground-testing programme, including structural, electric propulsion and systems testing, as well as low- and high-speed taxi trials.

“Earning FAA flight authorisation brings the X1 programme to the threshold of first flight. This achievement reflects the rigour of the work completed by Heart’s engineering and flight-test teams, as well as the close working relationship we have built with the FAA. With our certificate now in hand, our full focus is on flight. We are ready to get X1 in the air,” said Heart Aerospace founder and CEO Anders Forslund.

The X1 is a full-scale demonstrator developed as a technological and development platform for the future ES-30 regional aircraft. It has a wingspan of 32.3 metres, a fuselage length of approximately 23.2 metres and a take-off weight of more than 11.3 tonnes. The aircraft is powered by four electric motors mounted on the wings and draws all of the energy required for flight from batteries.

Under the planned initial test programme, the aircraft will be flown by a single pilot at speeds of up to approximately 110 knots and at altitudes of up to 2,000 feet above ground level. The first flights will be restricted to a controlled area around the Plattsburgh test base and will be used to gradually assess the aircraft’s handling, stability, propulsion-system performance and behaviour in flight.

Heart Aerospace says that once airborne, the X1 is expected to become the largest fully electric aircraft ever flown. Data gathered during the programme will support the continued development of the aerodynamics, structure, flight-control systems and electric propulsion technology intended for the future ES-30.

Unlike the fully electric X1 demonstrator, the production ES-30 is planned as a 30-seat hybrid-electric regional aircraft. According to currently published manufacturer data, it is expected to have a fully electric range of approximately 200 kilometres, while its hybrid system could extend the range to around 800 kilometres with a reduced passenger load. Heart Aerospace is currently targeting certification of the ES-30 in 2031.

The programme has already attracted interest from several major airlines. Heart Aerospace says its order book and letters of intent are worth a combined $9.4 billion, with United Airlines and Air Canada among the carriers associated with the aircraft.

Although the FAA certificate allows flight testing to begin immediately, the timing of the first flight will depend on final technical checks, weather conditions and the assessment of the flight-test team. The available information therefore indicates that the X1 is expected to fly during 2026, but Heart Aerospace has not yet confirmed a specific date.